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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100237">Unafraid, Unashamed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings'>angellwings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chicago Fire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Little Bit of Sexy Stuff, Love, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Surprises, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:27:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As many curveballs as life has thrown Matt Casey and Sylvie Brett, they really should have seen this one coming.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>173</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unafraid, Unashamed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><strong>A/N: </strong>Yet another prompt fic! Here’s the prompt: “You promised you’d stop drinking.” “And you promised you wouldn’t hurt me!″</p><p>It was supposed to be angsty but I couldn’t do it as angst. I tried. But canon is already too angsty right now so how about we make it fluff instead?</p><p>Happy reading!</p><p>xoxo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>******</p><p>
  <em>“Unafraid, unashamed,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There is joy to be claimed,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In this world.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You even might wind up being glad to be you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ever ever after.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Though the world will tell you it's not smart,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ever ever after,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The world can be yours if you let your heart,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Believe in ever after.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-“Ever Ever After” by Carrie Underwood</em>
</p><p>******</p><p>As many curveballs as life has thrown Matt Casey and Sylvie Brett, they really should have seen this one coming.</p><p>They’re settling into their new townhouse, Matt having finally decided to move out of Severide’s in favor of moving <em>in</em> with Sylvie.</p><p>She loved her cozy little apartment but she loves Matt more. The decision was a no brainer.</p><p>But moving has been stressful. There was almost too much to coordinate. She’d been exhausted every night for nearly two months, nauseas at the thought of movers mishandling the few family heirlooms she owned, and she’d been so stressed out while trying to arrange a subletter for her apartment that she’d skipped a period. Not unusual for her during times of intense stress. Her exams and midterms in college always threw her body completely out of whack.</p><p>But now it was all done. All they had to do was unpack the boxes.</p><p>She set her glass of wine on the kitchen counter while she organized their cabinets. She’d barely started and she was already wiped out. There was no real reason why she should be so tired. She hadn’t done much lifting today. </p><p>Directing where to put everything had been her job. A job she’d enjoyed maybe a little too much. Matt had rolled his eyes at her with fond annoyance more than once and Severide had accused her of being on a power trip when she made him move her grandmother’s china cabinet more than three times. It wasn’t about power, she just wanted things to be perfect.</p><p>Okay, it was also a little about power.</p><p>How often did she get a chance to boss Kelly Sevride around, really?</p><p>But that still wasn’t any reason to be quite so exhausted.</p><p>“Hey, babe?” Matt asks, wandering into the kitchen from what will eventually be his office. “Didn’t you say you ordered a couple of bookshelves?”</p><p>She nods as she stretches to put the everyday plates in the cabinet next to the stove. “Yeah, but turns out they’re on backorder.”</p><p>She ordered them almost exactly two months ago. She remembers because it was on the same day she realized she skipped her period. She panicked for a moment while writing the estimated ship date in her planner and then brushed it off as stress.</p><p>“They got delayed again,” she explains as she mentally counts the weeks and days. “They were supposed to ship out...last week? Let me check.”</p><p>She finishes with the plates and grabs her planner out of her purse, flipping to to the current month. She scans a finger over the calendar squares easily finding the original ship date, but then freezes.</p><p>Oh. <em>Oh, god</em>.</p><p>It’s been <em>two</em> months.</p><p>There’s a little red dot on last monday. She was supposed to start her period over a <em>week</em> ago. Skipping one period was reasonable for her. She had a precedent for that. But two?</p><p>She couldn’t be…</p><p>No. Definitley not.</p><p>Could she?</p><p>She instinctively reaches for her wine glass, brings it to her lips, and takes a large gulping sip. Just as she’s about to swallow she realizes what she’s doing.</p><p>She reacts instantly if not <em>very</em> dramatically — spitting her wine into the sink, dumping the rest of the glass, and throwing it into the sink so hard and fast that it shatters.</p><p>“Jesus!” Casey curses as he rushes across the open floor plan of their new home. “What the hell was that? Are you okay?” </p><p>She stares at him with wide eyes and his surprise immediately turns to worry.</p><p>“What? What is it?” He asks, grabbing her hand and inspecting it closely. “Did you cut yourself? Got a piece of glass stuck somewhere?”</p><p>“Matt…”</p><p>“I’ve got some tweezers in the bathroom if you’ve got a piece stuck somewhere—“</p><p>“Matt,” she repeats, closing her hand around his and squeezing firmly. “My hand is fine.”</p><p>“Alright,” he says with a confused furrow in his brow. “Bring the trash can over here. I’ll clean this up. Are you sure you’re okay? Was there something wrong with the wine?”</p><p>“Would you forget the wine!” She shouts in a sudden panic. “I’m late!”</p><p>“For what? I didn’t think we had any plans tonight,” he says, stepping around her to grab the trashcan.</p><p>“No, not late as in tardy.”</p><p>He sets down the trashcan and starts carefully picking up glass shards. “Then what?” He asks, discarding the broken stem without glancing up at her.</p><p>Before he can reach in for another piece of her shattered wine glass, she grabs his face. She frames his face with her hands and pulls his gaze to hers, holding him perfectly still.</p><p>“I’m <em>late</em>. As in should-have-had-my-period-two-months-ago <em>late</em>.”</p><p>It takes about ten seconds for her words to sink in, but when they do his eyes widen to match hers. “Oh. Oh, holy shit!”</p><p>“Forget the glass and take me to the drug store,” she says, releasing his face to grab his hand and yank him out the door. “I <em>have</em> to make sure.”</p><p>“Yeah—yeah, of course—I...uh huh.”</p><p>Her eyes slide over to him and she can’t help but grin at his astonished face.</p><p>“You still with me?”</p><p>He shakes himself out of his shock and then faces her with a determined expression. “Yes, absolutely.” He wraps an arm around her waist and kisses the side of her head. “Just working very hard not to get ahead of myself. You’re right. We need a test first. And then…”</p><p>He trails off but she can feel his eyes on her. She turns to look at him and nearly weeps at the joyful expression on his face.</p><p>“And then?” She asks.</p><p>“And then we’ll see,” he replies, clearing his throat and forcing his head out of the clouds. “One step at a time.”</p><p>An hour later, they’re sitting on the floor in their half unpacked bathroom staring anxiously at the timer on Matt’s phone.</p><p>“Time won’t pass any quicker if we watch it,” Matt says, reaching a hand out to still her bobbing knee.</p><p>“How are you calm?” She asks him with slight envious outrage. “We are—“ she pauses to look at the countdown. “Two minutes and fifteen seconds from knowing if we’re going to be <em>parents</em> in seven months!”</p><p>“Yes, we are,” he says, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. She rests her head on his shoulder and he turns toward her, pressing his lips against the crown of her head. “And no matter what that test says, I’m the luckiest guy in all of Chicago — probably on Earth if I’m truthful but <em>at least</em> Chicago. We’re gonna be fine either way, Sylvie. I have complete faith in us.”</p><p>She sighs happily and wraps her arms around his chest. “You always know exactly what I need to hear. How do you do that?”</p><p>He chuckles with his lips still pressed to her hair and kisses her crown lightly. “Well, you make it pretty easy. You let me know you and love you with all I’ve got. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. You and <em>this life</em> are all I’ve wanted. Thank you for choosing me.”</p><p>Her eyes are watering and happy tears are threatening to fall. She holds him tighter and presses several kisses to his neck and jaw. “Thank <em>you</em> for fighting for us when I didn’t. You never gave up on me. I don’t even want to think about where we’d be if you had actually listened to me.”</p><p>She looks up at him as he looks down at her. They wear matching watery smiles before he rests his brow against hers and nudges her nose with his.</p><p>“I love you, Sylvie Brett.”</p><p>“I love you too, Matt Casey.”</p><p>He finishes closing the distance between them by sealing their lips together. His free hand cups her cheek while hers trail up his neck and into his hair. Slowly but surely, he pushes her down onto the cold tile floor. Their legs tangled together. One of his solid thighs is between hers causing the most delicious friction. She can’t help but rut against it and moan into his kiss. His arm that was around her shoulders falls, his hand feeling a line down her body until he reaches the fly of her jeans. He pops the button and tugs the zipper tab down. His calloused fingers slip under the elastic waistband of her cotton underwear, and just as his about dip his fingers a little further into them…</p><p>The timer beeps insistently.</p><p>She laughs and hides her face in the curve of his neck. “You know, this is how we got into this mess in the first place.”</p><p>His laughter joins hers as he steals one more lingering kiss. “Worth it.”</p><p>She pushes herself up into a sitting position, biting her bottom lip as her eyes land on the pregnancy test sitting on the bathtub ledge. </p><p>Matt sits up too, his lips land on the shell of her ear. “Ready?”</p><p>She swallows and nods. “As I’ll ever be.”</p><p>She reaches for it and then snatches her hand back and closes her eyes. She’s realizing, just now, that she wants it to be positive. Maybe it’s not the conventional order of things, but a baby with Matt would be a dream come true. She can see their entire future in her mind and she’s not sure she’s ready for that fantasy to crumble yet.</p><p>“I can’t look,” she tells him, keeping her eyes closed. “You do it.”</p><p>She hears him chuckle and feels his lips against hers.</p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>“Charmer,” she teases, easy grin overtaking her face. He knows how much she loves <em>The Princess Bride</em> and uses it against her often.</p><p>Her eyes remain closed but she tunes herself to Matt, taking in every sound he makes. His breathing hitches and a moment later he smothers her in crushing embrace, kissing her intrusively.</p><p>He pulls back, pressing his forehead to hers. He removes one of her arms from around his neck and places the test in her hand. “Sylvie, look at me.”</p><p>She takes a deep breath and peeks out from under her lids very slowly. Matt is wearing an ear-to-ear smile and looks more overjoyed than she’s ever seen him. His eyes glisten with intense happiness and she can’t help but reflect both the smile and the tears right back at him.</p><p>She can read him like a book. She knows exactly what that face means.</p><p>“It’s positive?” She asks, tears clogging her voice.</p><p>He nods, expression full of pride and unconditional love. “See for yourself.”</p><p>She glances down at the test in her hand and a watery laugh bubbles out of her as she reads it. “I’m pregnant.”</p><p>He pulls her close again, tucks her head into his neck, and kisses the top of her head. When he speaks again his voice is full of wonder. “We’re gonna have a baby.”</p><p>“I guess the perfect guest bedroom will have to wait,” she says with a giddy grin. “That second bedroom will have to be the perfect nursery instead.”</p><p>“You are amazing,” Matt tells her with an awed expression. “You’re going to be a phenomenal mom. I love you.”</p><p>“You are made to be the best father there ever was,” Sylvie assures him. “I love you too and this baby is going to be so incredibly fortunate to have you.”</p><p>“To have <em>both</em> of us,” he corrects her.</p><p>Then he swoops in for more kisses, leading her back down to the floor, his hand moving to the still undone fly of her jeans</p><p>And this time there are no interruptions. The timer on his phone stays silent. Just her and him and the euphoria of the moment.</p><p>Later, she calls her doctor and sets up an appointment for the next morning. They’re not taking any chances. She wants to make sure their baby is healthy. Plus, having an actual doctor declare her pregnant would make it feel more real.</p><p>She and Matt moved from the bathroom floor to the bed a while ago. They were tangled up in each other even as she made her doctor’s appointment, his hand lazily running along the curve of her naked spine.</p><p>She gasps suddenly and pushes herself up with her palms pressed into the mattress. “Oh no!”</p><p>“What?” Matt asks urgently, worry flooding his face. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“If I’ve skipped two periods then I’m at least at 8 weeks,” she answers before grimacing regretfully. “I have had <em>so much alcohol</em> in those eight weeks! We go to Molly’s almost every free night!”</p><p>His muscles relax and he breathes a loud sigh of relief. “Christ, way to give me a heart attack, Sylvie.”</p><p>“Sorry,” she says, wincing apologetically. She presses a kiss to his shoulder and rests her hand over his heart to soothe him.</p><p>“I’m sure it’ll all be fine,” he replies in answer to her original concern. “You never have more than one serving at a time. And you didn’t <em>know</em>, babe. There’s no reason to feel guilty so don’t start.”</p><p>She hadn’t said it outloud but she didn’t need to. Not with him. He can practically read her mind at this point. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”</p><p>Then another thought hits her and she lets out a pained groan.</p><p>This time instead of being worried Matt lets out an exasperated snicker. “What now?”</p><p>When she meets his eyes they’re full of fond teasing. She pinches his side in retaliation.</p><p>“Shit!” He curses, squirming away from her with a laugh. “Ow!”</p><p>“That was for being mean,” she replies primly with a lift of her chin. “And it just occurred to me that I’m gonna have to sit around and drink water or club soda everytime we go to Molly’s while all of you guys have fun and get buzzy. That’s completely unfair.”</p><p>“Well, if you promise to stop hurting me,” he begins while tugging playfully at her mussed ponytail. “Perhaps I’ll be nice and promise to give up alcohol with you.”</p><p>She narrows her eyes on him in doubt. “You couldn’t do that. Give up your off shift beer with Severide? Or the whiskey flights Herrmann has you sample? You don’t have that kind of long term will power.”</p><p>“I can!” He protests. “And as long as you don’t pinch me again, I will.” He pauses, grabs one of her hands and brings the pads of her fingers to his lips. “Your fingers are long and slender and a pinch from you fucking <em>hurts</em>.”</p><p>The words are said with warmth and make her laugh. “God, for a big tough firefighter you sure are a wimp. But...you’ve got a deal.” She stretches herself upward to fuse her mouth to his, sealing the deal with a kiss.</p><p>The next morning they go to the doctor and confirm everything. She’s 10 weeks along. They get their first ultrasound. The baby is perfectly healthy and growing at the usual rate. They’re supposed to wait two more weeks to tell anyone, but they decide Boden needs to be made aware.</p><p>The Chief is surprisingly vigilant about keeping their secret, and while Sylvie’s usually horrible at secrets she finds she doesn’t mind keeping this one. It’s actually sort of nice living in a small bubble of excitement with Matt. It’s their happy little secret. </p><p>They still show up at Molly’s like normal and, by some miracle, if anyone’s noticed her and Matt’s sudden preference for water or club soda they haven’t pointed it out. Matt’s stayed true to his promise, keeping her company while she abstains from alcohol.</p><p>They’re two days out from being able to tell the world when it happens. Like she should have predicted the pregnancy curveball, she should have predicted this twist too.</p><p>She has a girls’ night with Kidd and Mackey planned while the guys wanted to watch the Blackhawks game at Molly’s. The original plan was for the girls to hang out at Kidd and Severide’s but halfway through the night they’d decided staying in was overrated and went back out to Molly’s.</p><p>Matt sitting at the bar with his back to her when they walk in, but then he turns at a very slight angle and the lowball glass of amber liquid is very visible.</p><p>She glares, a petty victorious feeling surging through her. Definitely not a normal emotion for her, but she’s pregnant and hormonal. She has a very good excuse.</p><p>“Excuse me, ladies,” she tells Mackey and Kidd. “A certain Captain is in <em>major</em> trouble.”</p><p>She walks up behind him, stepping quietly and carefully, and then pinches the exposed skin on his neck — <em>hard</em>.</p><p><em>“Fuck!”</em> Matt yelps, jumping up from the bar stool and grabbing the red spot on his neck. “Ow! What the hell was—“</p><p>He freezes when he turns. His throat bobs as he gulps and his eyes widen.</p><p>“What’s that you’ve got in your hand there, Captain?” Sylvie asks sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>“Ah, hi, honey,” Matt says, his face shifting from panicked to sugary sweet. “It’s not what it—“</p><p>“Hey, Brett,” Herrmann says, smiling at her with bewilderment in his eyes. “He’s just doing me a favor. Got in a few new whiskeys to sample. Your guy knows quality from overpriced junk.”</p><p>“A <em>whiskey flight</em>, you say?” She asks looking from Herrmann to Matt pointedly. “Never would have guessed.”</p><p>Everyone is staring at them now and, to be quite honest, she can’t blame them. They’ve never been the type for public spectacles.</p><p>“You promised you’d stop drinking,” Sylvie says, foot tapping the floor in an irritated beat.</p><p>“And you promised you wouldn’t hurt me!″ Matt fires back, wincing as he rubs his neck again. “That stung like a bitch!”</p><p>“You broke your promise first!” She says, stepping closer and poking a finger into his chest. “We made a deal and you didn’t follow through. That was your punishment.”</p><p>“It doesn’t really count, if you think about it,” he says, arms slipping around her waist as a charming grin eases over his lips. “Like Herrmann said, I was doing him a favor.”</p><p>“How convenient for you,” she says, fighting a grin before running a soft consoling touch over the red welt she left on his neck.</p><p>“Won’t happen again,” he promises, dipping his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. “I promise.”</p><p>“Six more months to go, buddy. We’ll see about that,” she replies with a dry chuckle.</p><p>“I don’t have a damn clue what’s happening right now,” Severide says, glancing over at Stella for clarification. “You?”</p><p>“Uh, no,” Stella replies, holding her hands up palms out. “As far as I can tell, Sylvie saw Matt with whiskey and lost her mind. Is there a reason you can’t drink, Casey? You got something you wanna share with the class?”</p><p>Sylvie’s eyes grow round and large as she realizes the repercussions of claiming her victory so publicly. It had been fun to catch him off guard but it meant she burst their bubble a couple of days early. She presses her lips together into a thin line and winces.</p><p>“This was not exactly my most thought out plan,” Sylvie confesses in an apologetic whisper.</p><p>Matt snorts and smirks. “I should say not. Now we <em>have</em> to tell them. They won’t leave us alone until we do.”</p><p>“Dammit. What was I thinking? Isn’t it a little too early for pregnancy brain?”</p><p>Mackey is standing closest to Brett and gasps as her mouth drops open in surprise. “Oh my god. <em>What</em>? Did you just say—Holy shit, you guys!”</p><p>“What?” Gallo asks with a clueless expression. “What did we miss?”</p><p>Sylvie and Matt share one last secretive smile before she turns in his arms to face the crowd of their friends. Matt keeps his arms around her waist, hands folding just above her stomach. She leans her back against his chest, letting her hands cover his, and smiles broadly at the room while joyful tears gather in her lashes.</p><p>“We’re having a baby,” she announces, voice thick with intense delight.</p><p>After a stunned silent moment, the bar erupts into a loud spontaneous celebration. Everyone crowds them at once with hugs and handshakes and pats on the back. It’s the last piece of the puzzle she and Matt need to make this amazingly unexpected turn of events feel real. </p><p>As Matt holds her close and presses his smile into her hair, she’s struck with an overpowering wave of satisfaction. Not long ago, she dismissed this future as impossible. She’d assumed Matt Casey was never meant for her. God, was she ever glad he proved her wrong.</p><p>This life she’s built with him means everything to her and now another one of her wishes is coming true. What seemed like a long shot, once upon a time, has now become her happily ever after.</p><p>She can’t wait to meet the newest addition to their story.</p>
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